The Ultimate Mobility Workout

Having a body like the statue of David means nothing if you move like him, too.

I created this CrossFit-style program to give you the muscle and mobility of a pro athlete. It begins with cutting-edge joint mobilization drills that free up your entire body, resulting in cleaner movement and more access to your muscles. After that, you’ll go right into a brutal circuit workout that will make you sweat buckets, finishing with relaxing soft tissue work, which relieves commonly tight areas.

The principles of this plan have improved the fitness of everyone from the CrossFit pros who come through my gym, CrossFit San Francisco, to the thousands of people who subscribe to my website MobilityWOD.com.

Directions
Warm up on a treadmill for 5 minutes. Do the joint mobilization exercises (Part 1).

Then move on to the workout (Part 2): Do 1 set each of 1A and 1B. That should take less than a minute. Rest for the remainder of the minute.

Repeat for 2A and 2B. Then sprint on the treadmill for 1 minute or 200 meters, whichever comes first. That’s 1 cycle. Do 10. Finish by walking for 5 minutes and doing soft-tissue exercises (Part 3), 1 set each.

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Joint Mobilization

1. Spine Foam Roll

Place a foam roller on the floor behind you, sit on your glutes, and lean back on the roller. Bring your arms over your head and place your hands together. Arch your back over the roller, and slowly return to the starting position.

Repeat several times, and then lift your butt off the floor and move backward and forward on the roller.

Time: 2 minutes

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Joint Mobilization

2. Hip Sequence

Assume a lunge position, right leg forward, with your right hand on your foot and your left hand on the floor. Push your right knee out as you rotate your body left. Now drive your hips back, straightening your right leg. Switch legs and repeat.

Time: 2 minutes per leg

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Joint Mobilization

3. Couch Mobilization

Back your right knee into the bottom of a wall and move your left leg into a lunge position, knee bent 90 degrees. Raise your torso and hold that position. Switch legs and repeat.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, squat down, and place your hands on the floor. Kick your legs back into a pushup position and do a pushup, lowering your chest to within a few inches of the floor.

Return to a squat, stand up, and repeat.

Reps: 5

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The Workout

2A. Snatch

Place a dumbbell on the floor between your feet and grab It. In a single movement, lift the weight up your body and try to throw it at the ceiling (without letting go).

Return to the starting position. Do all your reps, switch hands, and repeat.

Reps: 5 per hand

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The Workout

2B. Dumbbell Goblet Lunge

Hold a dumbbell vertically in front of your chest, cupping the top like a goblet. Step forward and lower your body until your front knee is bent 90 degrees. Return to the starting position.

Do all your reps, switch legs, and repeat.

Reps: 5 per leg

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Soft-Tissue Work

1. Quad Smash

Lie on your left side with a foam roller positioned beneath your thigh, just above your knee. Slowly roll to your right until you’re facing the floor.

Knead the area of muscle pressed into the roller by raising and lowering your left heel. Move the roller farther up your thigh and repeat the process.

Time: 1 minute per leg

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Soft-Tissue Work

2. Gut Smash

Lie on the floor with a lacrosse ball or softball beneath your navel. Roll the ball around by moving your body.

Knead tight spots by curling the heel of your leg on the corresponding side of your body up toward your butt and then lowering it.

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